The holidays are fast approaching, but even if your work schedule slowed down and you finally have time to catch up with your distant relatives, nothing ruins Christmas more than the heater suddenly turning off, or your family waiting in the street waiting for a deadly gas leak to air out of your home. By watching out for these six heating and air conditioning issues, residents of Dallas, TX can take several steps closer to their ideal holiday vacation without worrying about putting your family or home in danger.

#1: Frozen Pipes

With the weather becoming more and more extreme around the United States, even sunny Dallas, TX may experience the symptoms of a too-cold winter. In the event of an overnight cold snap, the parts in water heaters such pipes and coils in radiators freeze over, leaving your house without heat until the parts are repaired. To combat this, call a heating and air conditioning repair technician, and stop your pipes from bursting by shutting off the water to your home. There are a number of preventative measures homeowners can take if your water’s been on and you think your pipes might start to freeze. Having a heating and air conditioning repair technician seal any exposed pipes outside and installing insulation in interior pipes will make it so that your pipes won’t freeze and burst. You can also consider investing in heating cables that periodically activate your heater to prevent your pipes in your radiator, and home from bursting.

#2: Dirty Air Filters

When winter’s well underway, you’ll find that you’ll be using your heater more and more. One of the most common heating and air conditioning repair symptoms of heater overuse is that the air filters need to be replaced more often. By picking up dirt and other debris that clogs and stops the air from flowing through your home, you’ll find your heater works harder to compensate for the lack of airflow, which causes your already stuffy air filters to become dirtier and dirtier until they look like asphalt. In extreme cases, the parts in the heater start to fail, and the only thing you can do is replace the broken parts with new working ones. So remember, even if it’s a hassle in the short term, Dallas, TX residents may find themselves with an even bigger problem if they decide to overlook their air filters, and let their heaters degrade from overuse.

#3: Broken Pilot Lights

For heaters that use pilot lights, one of the simplest causes of a malfunction is the flame from the orifice isn’t turning on, or is a little too weak. Though it’s simple to light the pilot light in an emergency, having a heating and air conditioning repair technician come out and fix the entire pilot light can be prevented by troubleshooting for potential causes. One cause to your pilot light going out is a draft, continually blowing out the flame, a technician can come out and fix the air intake in your home to weaken any drafts, but covering any holes where the draft is coming from will solve the problem in the short term. You can also check to see if the gas regulator in your home is functioning, if the gas meter is malfunctioning, not only your heater, but your stove and dryer could be affected too, in which case you’ll have to call the gas company to come out and fix the regulator. Finally, a pilot light can have a flame weakened by soot or dirt that collect naturally over time. having a heating and air conditioning repairman not only the head of the pilot light, but the sensor that detects whether the flame is burning or not will help set your pilot light straight. lifespan of your unit.

#4: Failing Heat Pumps

Dallas, TX homeowners may find external heat pumps to be convenient, and cost effective. In the event of a cold front that suddenly hits, parts in the heat pump can freeze over, and it can become inoperable until the coil, or the fan are thawed and or replaced. While most heat pumps do come with anti-frost settings, these measures can often become broken in the summer months, and not be adequately tested before hand. A heating and air conditioning repair man can diagnose causes such as a faulty sensor, or a malfunctioning thermostat that prevents the anti-frost features from activating. For the average homeowner, there are simple preventative measures you can take before permanent damage can be done to your heat pump. Clearing away any external debris from the air intake can prevent the fan from wearing itself out, similar to a central heating unit. Heating and air conditioning repair technicians can also check to make sure that, if there’s a gutter hanging over the unit, or a nearby sprinkler that may be spraying the unit will not only save the heat pump from freezing over, but improve the general 

 #5 Broken Thermostat

Sometimes, the most frustrating problems are the ones that are the easiest to fix. When the thermostat goes out, you may call a heating and air conditioning repair technician, only to find out after a long arduous inspection, the problem was with an easy to fix, or replace electronic. You can prevent your thermostat from going out by performing annual inspections to make sure there are no faulty wires or other broken parts in your thermostat.

#6: Carbon Monoxide

 Though many Dallas, TX homeowners may not even think about this, by closing all the windows in the home, the lack of air moving can make you and your family the victims of carbon monoxide poisoning if there was ever a leak. Set up inspections to check your furnace, or any other part in your home that may cause carbon monoxide to spread such as a cracked heat exchanger. With appliances that generate carbon monoxide, calling a heating and air conditioning repair technician or the fire department and finding the leak is important to protecting yourself and your family.